North Florida Land Trust gets largest land acquisition in its history in Bradford County

Land recently acquired by the North Florida Land Trust recently in Bradford County, Image via North Florida Land Trust.

The North Florida Land Trust (NFLT) has acquired yet another sizable property in Bradford County.

Some 1,109 acres were donated to the NFLT conservation organization within the Ocala to Osceola Wildlife Corridor (iO2O Corridor) in Northeast Florida. The organization, founded in 1999, claims the latest contribution is the largest single acquisition in its history.

The land is west of the Camp Blanding Training Center, often used for U.S. military exercises and maneuvers. It is about a mile south of the New River Conservation Area.

The NFLT purchased the chunk of land from Rayonier Forest Resources, which had a history of timber production on the property. The company sold the property to the NFLT for $7.301 million. The U.S. Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration and the U.S. Army Compatible Use Buffer programs contributed most of the acquisition funding.

The Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds, named after former co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars with her husband Wayne Weaver, contributed additional funds for the purchase. In 2023, the North Florida Land Trust received a $1 million grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds to support conservation land purchases in the next decade.

“What a great accomplishment … that this large piece of Florida will remain natural forever. As I always say, it is now or never,” said Allison DeFoor, president and CEO of NFLT. “There will be no bulldozers, no houses, just the plants and animals that call it home. I applaud our team for protecting the land and thank Camp Blanding for its partnership, which made the protection possible. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Delores Barr Weaver for her support of our land conservation efforts.”

The land acquired in the deal is a mix of environmental habitats, including pine plantations, wetlands, and other ecologically sensitive lands.

“This conservation effort safeguards critical habitats for a diverse range of wildlife, including the Florida black bear, deer, and turkey, as well as threatened and endangered species such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, indigo snake, and gopher tortoise,” an NFLT press release said. “By keeping the land undeveloped, it also sustains essential wildlife corridors, enabling species to migrate through the O2O Corridor — a 1.6-million-acre network of public and private lands connecting the Ocala and Osceola National Forests.”

This month, the NFLT acquired a large property in Bradford County, its second acquisition. The organization also donated nearly 400 acres of pristine wetlands on Amelia Island in Nassau County near Fort Clinch State Park for conservation.

Since its founding 25 years ago, the NFLT has been instrumental in acquiring more than 42,000 acres of land preserved in seven counties along the First Coast.